Of Love and War
by missmandymalfoy
Summary: "You have a little Slytherin in you," he winked at her "Now you just need to harness it," Ginny massaged her temples. This was insane; that was probably why she agreed. Ginny and Draco find themselves in the middle of a cheating scandal, and Draco provides a 'solution': but how long until the two start to deveop feelings that could throw their plan upside down?


"_Problems in relationships occur because each person is concentrating on what is missing in the other person." –Wayne Dyer_

* * *

Dried tears clung to her cheeks, refusing to leave. It was like her stubborn sadness was keeping a choking hold on her. Taking a shuddering breath, Ginny set her glass down on the counter. The dimly lit bar was practically abandoned, strange for a Monday night. The only other person she could lift her eyes to see was the bartender, who kept on giving her nervous glances.

Ginny let her fall back to the crack on the table. It was as stubborn as her tears, refusing to leave. She didn't know how long she stared at it before a voice awoke her from her trance.

"Are you alright there, miss?" she lifted her eyes to meet the concerned brown ones of the bartender. He was a considerably attractive bloke, with sandy blonde hair and a lean build. Ginny shook her head.

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

The bartender put his rag down. "Would you like me to ring you up a room? I can get you one free for the night-

"I'm fine, thank you. I don't think I could sleep even if I tried,"

"What's troubling you?" he questioned her. He wouldn't have normally done so, but there was no one to tend to at the moment, and the red headed woman looked so depressed that he felt the need to reach out to her.

"It's a long story,"

"It's a long night,"

"True, true," Ginny nodded.

"They say it helps to talk about it,"

"Someone of greater importance than little 'ole me, I suppose,"

"And who would you be?"

"Jake, bartender of the Leaky Cauldron," Jake said with an air of importance. Ginny gazed at him curiously, her blue eyes searching his face before she said,

"Well, Jake, the night is young, and I guess I haven't any to lose now," Ginny sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "Pull up a chair so you can listen to my troubles," he did just that. The wood scraped against the wood of the floor as he dragged it to sit in front of her from his side of the counter. Jake gave her a nod of encouragement, and Ginny began to recount her story.

"It began on the eve of a storm, where all big stories do. The clouds were brewing something nasty-

"If you're going to narrate it like this, I don't think I'll be able to listen," Jake intercepted her tale. Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Thank Merlin, I don't think I could talk like that for the entire time," she gave a toothy smile, the first one all day. "Well, where do I begin? I'm serious about the storm. It was a right nasty day with all the wind, I could barely see straight. It was that wind that blinds you of what's to come, ya know?"

"No."

"No?

"No."

"Alrighty then, I'll stop being metaphorical. It was really terrible outside, but it was a normal day as always. Little did I know that my life was about to change for forever…"

* * *

"Nice catch, Emily! Make sure that your moves are sharper, it will definitely work to intimidate the keeper in our next game!" the Holyhead Harpies captain yelled over the wind. The weather was particularly windy that day. It was the foreshadowing of a storm. Dark clouds could be seen on the horizon, and the faint sounds of rumbling promised trouble.

Ginny's hair whipped around her face as she strained to hear over the wind as the captain dismissed them to the locker room. Brushing away a few stray strands that were damp from sweat, Ginny steered her broom to the ground, running inside with the rest of her teammates. It had been a long and grueling practice, and though Jenna, the captain, was a dear friend of Ginny's, she made it no easier on her. Jenna was set to be on top this season; she wanted every move they made on their brooms "sharper and more precise" as to "scare other people". Her words, not Ginny's.

"Tired?" Jenna bumped her elbow against Ginny's. Ginny threw her a grin.

"Yeah, this captain made us do tons of reflex exercises, it taxes a girl, you know," she said playfully, which was returned to her. The door to the locker room was pushed open, and Ginny was surrounded by the smell of sweating women. Crinkling her nose slightly, Ginny found her bag and began shedding her uniform.

"So, anything special going on tonight? It's your five year anniversary with Mr. Harry James Potter,"

"You make it sound like marriage," Ginny raised an eyebrow and pulled her dark red hair into a pony tail. "The man hasn't even pecked up the courage to propose to me after five years," Ginny dropped her uniform into her bag.

"Yet he can defeat You-Know-Who," Jenna sighed exasperatedly.

"That's what I said," Ginny grumbled in an annoyed tone. Her friend clapped her on the back.

"Hey, cheer up! You never know, you might become an engaged women tonight," Jenna exclaimed cheerfully, causing Ginny to raise her other eyebrow.

"And?" she prompted, because she knew that her captain wasn't finished.

"And…you never know, maybe just some casual five year anniversary sex," Jenna picked imaginary lint of her clothes casually before throwing Ginny a sultry wink. She earned a hard shove from the youngest Weasley.

"You know I'm waiting until marriage. I know it sounds stupid but I think it's important to-

"Maintain purity in a virginal sense until you are bond to the man you love forever," both girls completed together with a dreamy sigh.

"Blah blah, times are changing. I walked into a public bathroom in London the other day only to find two youngsters shagging away like rabbits. This maintaining purity thing is going down the drain like your aunt Tessy's lasagna,"

"Nah, we put it in the garden, to fed the gnomes and all,"

With a chuckle, Jenna picked her broom up "You leaving your broom in the closet?" Jenna gestured towards the door, but Ginny shook her head.

"Absolutely not, I'm taking it home. You know how I am with that kind of thing-

Jenna rolled her eyes and picked up for her. "Obsessively possessive and certain to cause injury to anyone that harms it,"

"_Protective," _Ginny said blonde snorted in a 'Whatever you say' sort of way, before giving her a wave and disappearing into the closet. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted to Jenna, who gave a mumbled response, before Ginny spun on her heel and apparated away from the pitch.

"Thank Merlin," Ginny sighed to herself as she appeared in 12 Grimmauld Place. Coughing to clear her throat of the dust collecting around her, she dropped her broom onto the floor carelessly, only to quickly pick it back up and make sure no damage had come to it. After she had calmed her mini-heart attack (she really was possessive about her broom, after all) Ginny noticed that it was strangely quiet. Quirking an eyebrow, she strode into the kitchen, only to find the chair vacant and the coffee mug absent.

"Harry? I'm home," she called out into the seemingly empty house. Ignoring the tightening feeling in her stomach, she quickly hurried up the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.

Frowning, Ginny stood at the top of the stairs. Every door in the upstairs hallway was open, except for the one at the end, the room her and Harry shared together. Now that was odd. She started towards it, and gripped the slim handle in her hand for only a split second before wrenching the door open. Only after it was open did she wish that it wasn't.

In a tangle of limbs on the bed Harry and Ginny shared together was her beloved with another woman. Ginny's heart stopped for a time worth three beats before it started again, only to tear in halve. He took no notice of the woman whose heart was currently breaking, standing alone in the door frame.

"Harry?" Ginny managed to rasp out, her voice sounding too weak. The couple on the bed was too involved. She didn't want to see the face of the woman who was currently shagging her boyfriend; Ginny refused to look at the faceless girl. Ginny cleared her throat, and the bubble of anger inside of her burst. "Harry James Potter!"

His head rose then, and Ginny's breath caught. Cheeks flushed from arousal, heavy breath coming in pants, sheen sweat covering both his and his lover's nude body. "W-what are you doing here?" he asked her dumbly. Ginny's mouth gaped open.

"I happen to live here too," she turned, feeling tears filling her eyes and blinding her.

"Where are you going? Ginny, wait!" Harry got out of the bed, abandoning the mystery girl and racing after Ginny. He caught her shoulder as she reached the top of the staircase. "Wait," he repeated, out of breath.

"I don't have to do anything you tell me to do," Ginny turned around and glared at him, shaking his hand off her shoulder in disgust.

Harry reached for her again anyways. "But, I'm your boyfriend!"

"Ex," Ginny spat. And that was the last time she set foot into 12 Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Jake's face resembled that of a gaping fish. "Woah, he had the nerve to ask you that?"

Ginny slammed her glass down, something Jake had offered her halfway through. She was getting heated all over again. "Yes, yes he did. And he played the 'I'm the Chosen One' card on me. Can you believe that?"

Jake shook his head. "And then what happened?"

Ginny glanced around the dimly lit bar. "Then I came here, to this very bar. It was a different bar tender that night," she added, seeing the question on his face. "I wanted to get crazy drunk. My heart was bleeding, you see, and my thoughts were far from rational. Although I admit, they aren't that rational to begin with," she smiled to herself. "And I met someone. Someone who would change my life for forever."

* * *

In all truth, Ginny hadn't been to the popular wizarding pub in ages. After the Second Wizarding War, she had heard that Tom, the landlord, had either retired or passed away. Hannah Abbott became the landlady, and she moved in with her husband, Neville Longbottom.

The dark and shabby pub had a bar and a number of tables in the corners. It was just as Ginny had remembered. Her eyes trained over to the bar, where the grubby barman she had known previously was replaced by a younger man, probably in his mid-thirties.

Ginny made her way through the dimly lit room. She sat herself down on one of the rickety stools as the bartender made his way up to her.

"Preference?" he asked her, leaning forward over the counter slightly. She considered this for a moment before shrugging.

"Gimme the strongest you've got," Ginny replied recklessly, causing the bartender to chuckle good naturedly. He must have gotten that one a lot.

"Rough day?"

Ginny shook her head, looking down at the smooth surface of the counter. "You have no idea," giving another light laugh, the bartender placed a shot glass in front of her. Raising her eyebrows slightly, Ginny grabbed it and downed it quickly. The liquid burned her throat

"Is that really the strongest you have?" she asked suspiciously.

"We wouldn't want you to be taken advantage of," his eyes scanned the dim room quickly before resting back on her. "A pretty woman alone at the bar late at night, you have no idea what kind of men lurk around here,"

Ginny frowned, but nodded in understanding. That was the first kind thing someone had done for her all day. "Thanks-"

"David," he supplied for her.

"Thank you, David," she grinned. "If you will," Ginny held up the glass. David gave a hearty laugh before grabbing a larger glass and refilling it. He pushed it in her direction then took off to tend to another customer.

Ginny sighed and returned to staring at the table. She had full intentions of getting drunk, to drown her sorrows away, yet something was stopping her. It made her feel pathetic. Shaking her thoughts, Ginny lifted the liquid to her lips once more and took a large gulp, her eyes almost watering.

She had just swallowed when she heard it, "Well well, what have we here?" a smooth voice said from her left. Quite frankly, it was a voice she never thought she'd hear again. Ginny set her drink down on the counter and turned to face the wizard beside her.

"Malfoy," she greeted, her face stoic, her tone civil but laced with poison.

The man in question dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Weaslette," he set his glass on the counter. "What makes a girl like you come to a bar on a weekday night?"

"That's really none of your business, now, is it?" Ginny glared at him, her hand sneaking down to ensure that her wand was in her pocket. Draco's eyes tracked the movement.

"You won't be needing that," he said casually, "Not that you would be able to handle it if you did,"

She felt fire shoot through her. "Why you little prick, you haven't changed a bit,"

"And you're still a filthy blood traitor," Draco replied just as easily, his icy eyes piercing right back into her own.

"At least I'm not living in the past. 'Filthy blood traitor', really, Malfoy? Get with the times. Your stupid blood prejudice is nothing now,"

Draco promptly ignored her, taking another long drink. He set his drink down on the counter, signaling to the bartender to refill it. Confusion swelled inside of her. Why hadn't he retaliated? In fact, the way he had ignored was possibly even more offensive then a biting response. Wanting to get some form of response from him, Ginny regarded the drink with curiosity. "What is that?" she frowned at the glowing green liquid as David slid it across the counter and back into Draco's hand. Giving him a nod, Draco glanced over at Ginny.

"Something strong enough to make me forget everything in the past twenty four hours," that sounded like a pleasant idea at the moment. It seemed that Draco had the right idea.

"I think I might have to take one of those,"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle it?

"If I can't, I'll be grateful,"

A smirk quirked his lips. "That's my way of thinking," he signaled David over. "I'll have the usual, and get one for her as well. She's on me tonight,"

Ginny's eyebrows shot up as Draco's voice slipped over her. His words shot straight to her core. She knew that he meant to pay for her, but the way it left his lips made it sound sexual. Ginny found it hard to hear his words any other way; the man was gorgeous and carried an air of mischief that made a woman's fingers tingle. It certainly didn't help that he seemed to have a permanent bedroom voice.

"Do you buy drinks for women often?" she questioned, keeping her voice as even as possible. Draco leaned forward slightly, closer to her.

"Only when I feel obliged to," his silvery eyes had darkened and were peering into hers. It was disorienting, having him so close to her. Ginny swallowed, hoping that he wouldn't notice how much he was affecting her.

"Oh? And what is so obliging in this situation?"

Draco gave her a crooked grin that made her heart stop. "It's not like you, a smart little thing, playing dumb," his lips hovered near her ear. "You humor me," his breath tickled her neck and her own breathing quickened. She could smell his natural musky scent, and it was intoxicating. Ginny wanted to blame the alcohol for her thoughts, but she knew that she was kidding herself. Quickly pulling away from the man that was stimulating her in ways he shouldn't have, Ginny regained equilibrium with herself before saying,

"Why, thank you for your generous actions. Now what kind of drink have you gotten for me?" truth be told, she was a bit concerned. Draco was the type of man that could hold his liquor, she knew well from her school days with him.

A shark like grin captured his mouth. "No drink has ever tasted so good yet done so much damage, in my opinion," he said in a low voice just as David slide two glasses across the counter. Draco nodded in thanks before continuing. "It's my favorite to relax on. It packs one heck of a punch, though you think you could drink them all day," he gestured to the drink before them.

It was a brownish yellow drink, in a long glass that was cool to the touch, with a lime placed delicately on the edge of the glass. "What is it?" Ginny gazed at the drink then back at Draco, who was watching her carefully.

"Long Island Iced Tea," he answered, pushing it towards her. "It's a mix. One shot of vodka, one shot of gin, one shot of spiced rum, a shot of tequila and a shot of triple sec," Draco listed off. Ginny's eyebrows shot up. So it wasn't as delicate as it looked.

"Where does the color come from then?" Ginny asked curiously. It seemed to glow under the lighting.

"Cola is mixed in," he added as a side note, and Ginny nodded in understanding. "You know your drinks," Draco noticed, surprise gracing his features.

Ginny felt an uncharacteristic smirk snake its way onto her lips. "Naturally,"

"So you have a naughty streak in you, who knew?" Draco teased her lightly. "I wish I knew about it earlier," Ginny's heart did a jack hammer trick in her chest. What was he playing at? Her heart still ached from Harry, and she didn't think she could take anyone else pulling at her heart strings.

"What makes you think that you would have gotten anywhere if you had known earlier?" Ginny's voice was laced with a touch of venom. Draco sensed this, his own guard going up.

"I would never want to touch the likes of you," he sneered at her, all tones of civility gone. Ginny could only glare at him in response. She turned back and stared at the counter. There was an intriguing crack running down the center of it. And a little stain over there. Ginny glared at the crack and stain, focusing all her anger on it.

Her hands were shaking as what had happened began to set in. She was no longer with Harry. The man she had loved since she was twelve was gone. And he had cheated on her, and he had _chosen_ to. Just like that he had wrenched out of her grasp. She had thought they were so happy, and was secretly praying that Jenna's playful joke about a marriage proposal tonight were true. Had she done something wrong?

Tears pricked at her eyes as her breathing became ragged. Her mind was a whirl wind of emotions, and Ginny couldn't think straight. The buzz of the alcohol did little to help her as she slumped forward and her senses shut down.

* * *

"David, huh? I've never heard of him,"

"That's all you got out of that?" Ginny's eyebrows shot up. Jake merely shrugged.

"Long Island Iced Tea? I hope you made it to a room okay," he added worriedly. Ginny frowned.

"That's the thing. The next morning, I woke up, with no recollection of how I had gotten into the room I was in," Jake stared at her in alarm. "But I wasn't naked, and there was no random guy around. I was under the covers in a single bed, warm, comfortable, but with one hell of a hangover,"

"As expected," Jake chuckled.

"I was worried at first, that some faceless man had taken advantage of me, but I realized that didn't happen. I could just tell that _it_ didn't happen, you know?"

"No," Jake shook his head. "But I'm not a woman, so I'll take your word for it,"

Ginny nodded, accepting the answer. "But I did still remember what I wanted to forget. That Harry cheated on me. All my pain and sadness came flooding back to me. I'm not that kind of girl, though. I decided that I needed to move on. Easier said than done, of course, but I wasn't exactly sane during those times,"

Jake gave a good hearted laugh. "You not exactly sane now," he pointed out.

"True," Ginny grinned, but it fell from her face as she continued her tale. "I decided it best to drag myself from bed. The sun was awfully bright and stinging my eyes, and those curtains you have aren't worth shit, so I came downstairs to get some breakfast,"

"And then you ate pancakes and had warm tea?"

"No. And then all hell broke loose."

* * *

Muttering multiple profanities about curtains and headaches that would have made Voldemort blush, Ginny traipsed down the handsome wooden staircase. As per usual, the room was alive with conversation and life, something Ginny wasn't sure she could handle at this time in the morning. Clutching her eyes like a mad man, she tripped down the rest of the stairs, scolding herself to not get drunk again.

Only to snort at herself. She'd like to see herself make _that_ promise.

Trudging over to the nearest table, Ginny plopped herself gracelessly down onto the bench. She grabbed for a tea cup and began blindly searching for a box of cereal when she heard all conversation stop. Startled by the sudden quiet, Ginny glanced up, only to find that all eyes were on her. She gave a nervous wave.

"Er, hullo. Fancy morning, isn't it?"

The witch across from her, one with a giant wart on her nose and fulfilled the stereotypical 'witch' in all the bad ways, wordlessly pushed a newspaper towards her. Ginny cringed at the gnarled finger. Questioningly, she turned her attention towards the paper before her, and she noticed everyone else did as well, waiting with bated breath.

**SECRET AFFAIR EXPOSED!**

**Charming correspondent Rita Skeeter delved into the depths of the secret affair between Draco Malfoy and Ginerva Weasley. The couple has been involved in a treacherous love scandal. Caught in plain sight Wednesday afternoon, Skeeter was able to investigate. "We were drawn together, it just felt right." claims Ginerva Weasley, now ex-girlfriend of the Wizarding World Savior, currently lover of Sex God Draco Malfoy.**

**The Boy-Who-Lived-Twice was involved in a five year relationship with Ginerva Weasley, before he broke it off last night after he came home to find Weasley and Malfoy at it in his own bed. Heart broken and distressed, the ghosts of his past and present swim in his eyes yet again as he mourns. Family (which he doesn't have as they were tragically murdered by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named*) and friends comfort Potter in his heart break. Harry James Potter has made no comment about this latest emotional blow**

**Potter was not the only soul damaged in this scandal. Astoria Greengrass, beauty of the Wizarding World, was too involved in a serious relationship with Draco Malfoy. "I can't believe that he would do something like this," Greengrass cries "I know it was all Weasley's doing. I just know it!"**

**Draco Malfoy, Ex-Death Eater and now the Top Bachelor in England with his suave charm; we find it isn't a surprise that he managed to snag Potter's girl. Always rivals in school, their rivalry continues on, and now it has become even more personal. The heir of the Malfoy inheritance, company, and estate has remained rather indifferent about the sticky situation. But Skeeter, with her mouth-watering good looks, will soon provide more information of Malfoy's secret inner war in the next edition.**

***If you do not know about this event you must have been living under a rock for the past two decades. The Daily Prophet strongly advises you get up to date. **

No one breathed. No one moved. No one dared blink. Even the flies in the room stopped buzzing about as they awaited Ginny's inevitable explosion. Ginny's eye twitched menacingly, and everyone in the room cringed.

Ginny looked around in horror at the wizards and witches surrounding her. Some were looking at her in disgust, or disapproval, or some were winking creepily. Ginny shuddered. They all believed this, didn't they? Of course they would, it was her word against Harry's. Ginny had never thought she'd see the day Skeeter sided with Harry, yet again, she never thought she'd see the day Harry cheated on her either.

As she opened her mouth to defend herself from the growing crowd, Ginny felt herself being pulled out of her chair. An iron like grip encircled her wrist, and Ginny tried in vain to tug free. "Come on, _honey_, we need to talk," a sickly sweet voice filled her ears. She snapped to attention, her eyes focusing in on the man pulling her out of the room.

Once they were up the stairs back in her room and away from prying eyes, Ginny wrenched her wrist free, rubbing it sorely. "Malfoy! What the hell! Are you trying to make my life even more miserable?"

Draco pulled the door closed and cast a silencing charm quickly before turning back to her. "I understand that you saw the article, then," he said calmly. Ginny's anger flared.

"No shit, Malfoy," she hissed harshly. "Everyone in the Wizarding world has probably seen it by now!" her brain was pounding against her skull and the lights were too bright. Rubbing her temples, Ginny glared at him. "This is all your fault,"

"Oh, great," Draco spat sarcastically. "And pray tell, how is this whole mess _my_ fault?"

"Because you're the ex-Death Eater,"

"And you're the ex-girlfriend of Harry Potter, who you happened to cheat on with me. You cheated on the wizarding world savior with a Death Eater, you're worse off than me!" Draco shouted, stepping closer to her. Ginny's eyes widened at his statement. It hadn't fully sunken in until now. Harry had cheated on her with Astoria Greengrass, Malfoy's girlfriend. And then he had lied about it to the Daily Prophet. Now everyone assumed that she was Malfoy's _lover_. Ginny shuddered in repulsion.

"This is bloody fantastic," Ginny threw her hands up in the air, collapsing against the bed. "The entire world hates me. My family has probably disowned me-

"Your family," Malfoy grunted, leaning against the wall in what could have been recognized as defeat. "My parents are going to murder me for associating with a blood traitor, and Potter's material at that,"

Ginny's eyes, which she had previously shut to try and block out her killer headache, snapped open. "Potter's material? I am _not_ Harry's, and I _never_ _will_ be again. I am a woman and I cannot be owned. You should do well to show some respect," she tried to keep the break in her voice as subtle as possible, but there is only so much a girl can do.

"Why would I ever respect you?" Draco sneered at her.

"Why would you pull me out of that room? Why not feed me to the dogs, Malfoy?" he stiffened at her statement.

"It was hardly because I care about you," Draco said tightly. "It's because you are significant in restoring our reputations,"

Ginny sat up. "What?" her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, "And what might my significance be?" Draco stared at her face for a moment before answering.

"I have a proposal," his voice was light, aloof, and slightly cautious. The way he was looking at her sent shivers down her spine in anticipation, or maybe it was fear.

Eyebrows furrowed, she stared down the blonde. "What do you want?" she asked him. Draco clucked his tongue, obviously having suspected this.

"Patience, Weaslette," he smirked at her. "What do I want, Weasley? Many things. The two top on my list of priorities right now is getting back at Astoria for cheating on me with Pothead, and…" he paused, looking at her in an almost leering way. "You to help me get revenge,"

This startled Ginny, though damn her if she showed it. "And pray tell, Malfoy, how would I do that?" Ginny's eyebrows shot up, doubt and mocking evident in her voice.

"What if we went along with what everyone was saying? What if we picked up from where Skeeter left off?"

Ginny choked on her spit, a pathetic feat. "Are you mad?" Ginny felt anger and confusion bubbling deep within her, or maybe that was more spit. "Why would I ever want to make everyone believe this awful lie?"

"Consider yourself lucky that I'm offering this, Weaslette. Riddle me this. Greengrass and Potter cheated on us with each other, correct?" he was stating the obvious, but Ginny felt the need to nod. "Let's entertain, for the moment, the idea that you and I started dating. Fake dating, but they needn't know the details. Having us pretend to date would completely throw them off guard, make a news story, take away from their spotlight, because, come on, that's all Astoria ever wanted in the first place. I could list a thousand pros about this idea,"

"And I could list a thousand cons," Ginny muttered. "Let's entertain, for the moment, that I turned down this idea of yours?" Ginny leaned forward.

Draco ran his finger along the door frame, almost more interested in it than he was her. When he finally lifted his eyes to her, they were much darker than they were before. She sucked in a breath. "If you turned down this idea…well," Draco looked away for a moment then back at her. "It would be your loss. I know you, Weasley. Even though we weren't anywhere close to being on a personal basis, I did attend school with you for five years, and I know that you are not the type of girl that lets her broken heart control her. No, you take control of your life, and you fight back. You have a little Slytherin in you," he winked at her, causing Ginny to shudder. "Now you just need to harness it,"

Ginny closed her eyes and massaged her temples. This was insane. Malfoy wanted to 'pick up where they left off'? Why would he even suggest that? "How does 'dating' heal our reputations?"

Malfoy sighed. "Sadly, cheating is a part of everyday life. If we just act like it really did happen, everyone will eventually accept it. They may not like it, but they'll come to terms with it. It's a lot easier to do it this way than fighting the press and Potter, who I'll bet you won't say what really happened. It just…saves us a lot of trouble and things that could possibly hurt the both of us,"

Ginny blinked at his long statement. That was the most passionate speech that she had ever heard him say. "Let me get this straight. You're suggesting that instead of trying to prove everyone wrong and that Skeeter lied, that we should prove them right, in the process destroy our reputations, lose all our friends, and possibly our lives?" Ginny's voice rose with every word until it was unbearably high pitched.

Draco shrugged. "If you can't beat them join them."

* * *

**Some of you may have noticed that I have rewritten my story Of Love and War and made it between Ginny and Draco. Well, here it is! I hope this isn't a big disappointment. There's just too much clichéd Dramione out there, and I wanted something a little different for this story. **

**Please let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP**

PS: If you don't understand the format of this story- Ginny is recollecting on past events that landed her in the bar in her 'depressed state'. Basically, she will keep retelling her story until she gets up to the part of why she's there in the first place. Don't worry, it will work out in the end!


End file.
